Members Area

Our main family tree, as of 14 Aug 2018, contains 15,529 individuals, of which 1,132 are Willingales. We have a further 529 people, including 161 Willingales in our 'Unconnected' database, where we have not, yet, been able to trace a link back to someone on our main tree.

Graham is working towards adding a further 550 names and is also updating birthdays and other data using the newly-available 1939 census. Occasionally members have provided information, for which we are thankful, and have also alerted us to inaccuracies, which are checked and corrected.

Journal

We have not received any material suitable for publishing in a journal and so this will not be provided. Members will instead be charged the reduced subscription rates.

Social Media

We do not have the resources to maintain a presence on social media, but would be interested to hear from anyone with the time and necessary knowledge who is willing to do so.

A video has been added to the site that commemorates the Royal Navy disaster in 1914 that has become known as the “Live Bait Squadron” disaster. Sidney Willingale was a Petty Officer on the Aboukir, one of the three cruisers that were sunk by a German submarine. The media can be accessed through his individual record.

The committee have discussed the way ahead in the light of the fact that there continue to be no contributions to enable production of a journal.

As we shall therefore have less costs to bear we have decided with immediate affect to reduce the annual membership subscription to £10, and to introduce a joining fee [which will also be the first year’s subscription] of £20 for new members. It is expected that this will enable a small positive balance to be sustained in the accounts.

Payment of annual subscriptions is due now. Members will be sent a reminder by post and we hope that all members will continue to enjoy the other benefits of membership. However it will be understood that subscriptions that remain unpaid at the end of August signify a desire to no longer maintain membership.

The chairman is offering WFS members a discount on the wines he produces at Bow-in-the-Cloud Vineyard.

By visiting www.bowinthecoud.co.uk, choosing the wine and entering the coupon code “wfs” members will receive a discount of 10%. Please note that this is the normal wine and not the specially badged “Epping Loppers” that is also available to members.

The wines available vary from time to time – at present there is his award-winning dry white blend, shortly there will also be a dry rose, and in July there will be two bubblies as well.

Our website is in the process of migrating from Blackfoot to Krystal, and this should be transparent to users except for changes that need to be made to their email clients. All members have been allocated willingale.org email addresses and if they have accounts set up as clients then they should have received an email from Krystal advising the changes that need to be made with effective date 9 April 2016. If this is not the case then Graham and I are here to help. I should explain that this migration is not of our choosing – it is essentially a takeover!

Fiona Ballantyne nee. Mackay (I10525) was awarded an OBE for ‘Services to Culture in Scotland’ in the Queen’s Birthday Honours last year. The award was presented to Fiona by Prince William at Buckingham Palace on November14, 2014. Fiona is the 2nd Great-granddaughter of Mary Elizabeth Willingale born 1831. On behalf of WFS members we congratulate you Fiona.

This is the second known OBE awarded to a member of our family. The other was awarded in 1993 to Geoffrey Willingale Wood (I2503) for services to the ‘Board of the Inland Revenue’.

Steven Willingale (I0370) reports as follows: “My cousin Jane (I1402) has given birth to a baby boy on 15th Feb 2015 named Zacharias Willingale Panteli (Zach). The father is Felipe Panteli. The birth was in Auckland, NZ.”
Thanks for the info, Steven, action has been taken. Please convey WFS congratulations to the proud parents.